1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image formation method and the system thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to an image formation method and the system thereof for forming an embossed image having a three-dimensional physical substance based on a non-embossed image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printed matter obtained by forming a non-embossed image that extends in two-dimension on a printing medium such as recording paper is widely used in various daily scenes.
There is also printed matter in which an embossed image made of physical substance is present in a non-embossed image printed on the printed medium. The presence of such an embossed image adds the printed matter to values such as:
Portions printed as a non-embossed image can also be recognized as pseudo-embossed image;
Texture of oil paintings, wallpaper, etc. can be expressed;
Characters or patterns can be emphasized by raising them from the surface of the printed matter, and the printed matter can have a high-quality appearances by partially raising the image printed thereon; and
Image on the printed matter can be appreciated with the sense of touch in addition to visual sense, thus the printed matter can be enjoyed also by visually-handicapped people, making printed matter universal.
The conventional methods of forming an embossed image includes a method in which an embossed image was formed by preparing a data representing the embossed image, irradiating a light beam to a photo-curing resin sheet by using this data to form a resin plate, and pressing the resin plate against a printing medium such as recording paper to form the embossed image on the medium.
However, this conventional method requires processes such as preparing an embossed sample corresponding to the embossed image to be printed and measuring and/or processing the surface shape of the embossed sample. Therefore, this conventional method requires to prepare an embossed shape corresponding to an image to be printed from scratch, thereby requiring large amount of labor, time and cost.
Japanese patent laid-open No. 7-175201 discloses a method of manufacturing an embossing die corresponding to the gradation of an image by irradiating a light beam to a photosensitive resin plate via a photograph film, and developing the image.
This method is a thermosensitive type in which data representing a height of the image is directly written depending on an amount of light passing through a film. Because a photographic film or the like is required, this method has not been widely used in other methods.
Further, Japanese patent laid-open No. 6-320855 discloses a method of forming on a non-embossed image a ultraviolet curable transparent resin layer having a height corresponding to the color image density of the non-embossed image.
In this method, however, a resultant image did not always provide a visual embossed effect because a portion having a high density such as a shadow portion is incorrectly represented as a protruding shape.
This method also has a problem in that due to a lens effect of the embossed transparent resin layer through which the non-embossed image is observed, a resultant image is caused to be visually deformed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provide an image processing and formation method and the apparatus thereof in which an embossed image can be easily formed regardless of the types of image to be formed.
In one aspect of the present invention, an image processing method comprises the steps of extracting an attribute value from a non-embossed image data from which a non-embossed image is formed; generating an embossed image data from which an embossed image is formed using the extracted attribute value; and transmitting the generated embossed image data and the non-embossed image data to an image formation apparatus.
In another aspect of the present invention, an image formation method comprises the steps of extracting an attribute value from a data of a non-embossed image from which the non-embossed image is formed; generating an embossed image data from which the embossed image is formed using the extracted attribute value; and forming an image based on the generated embossed image data and the non-embossed image data.
In still another aspect of the present invention, an image processing apparatus comprising attribute value extract means for extracting an attribute value from a non-embossed image data from which a non-embossed image is formed; embossed image data generation means for generating an embossed image data from which an embossed image is formed using the attribute value extracted by the attribute value extract means; and transmission means for transmitting the embossed image data generated by the embossed image data generation means and the non-embossed image data to the image formation apparatus.
In further aspect of the present invention, an image formation apparatus comprises attribute value extract means for extracting an attribute value from a non-embossed image data from which a non-embossed image is formed; embossed image data generation means for generating an embossed image data from which an embossed image is formed from the attribute value extracted by the attribute value extract means; and image formation means for forming an image based on the embossed image data generated by the embossed image data generation means and the non-embossed image data.
According to the present invention, an embossed image can be easily provided by using a non-embossed image data.
Further, according to the present invention, the shape and height of an embossed image as well as a region in which on embossed image is formed can be determined according to a user""s desire or preference so that printed matter of high quality of design can be produced.
Further, with the use of electrophotograph image formation apparatus capable of forming an embossed image with foaming toner or the like, the present invention can produce a product having multiplicity of types in small amount in an on-demand manner.
embossed image formation apparatus according to the present invention can form an embossed image with the operation as easy as the operation of conventional electronic photograph apparatuses, and therefore end-users can also operate the apparatus by themselves.